


The Orphanage

by Sorren



Series: Defeatist Is Not A Good Look On You [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Child Abandonment, Foster Care, Found Family, Future Character Death, Gen, Homelessness mention, Hurt and comfort, Incompetent adults, Making life work, OC dies from beating, Origin Story, neglect mention, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 06:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9536378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorren/pseuds/Sorren
Summary: Everyone has a beginning. This is sort of how their lives began, but it's sort of the beginning ofthemas well.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first piece for the fandom but not the first part of the story. The kids all end up in foster care at some point, and this is neither how it starts, nor how it ends.The song that inspired this part of the story is The Valley by The Oh Hellos, so check that song out and it might give you some clarity.

Aaron Burr was born in New York City to rich and prestigious parents. He lived well for the first few months of his life. Then they died, and he was shuffled around from place to place.  A great-uncle here, a long-lost older sister there, nobody had time to care for a fussy newborn that ruined their daily routine. So eventually he crashed into the foster system. That went worse, because he was older now. Seven, to be exact, and while he'd learned the art of keeping his mouth shut as needed, kids were assholes. So why bother? He got shuffled around the foster system, a few months in each place before they finally gave up on him and shoved him onto the Larsons. They didn't complain, and no one ever said why. He figured out later that it was because they were never around. Good. Aaron Burr was more than capable of fending for himself.

* * *

 Philip Morgan was born in the Larson house, to the proud and dying Laura Morgan, and the wretched bastard who sent his mob to make sure that neither mother nor son survived. Philip survived, but his mother never even saw him take his first breath. That honor was for the Larson group, the (currently) three kids who got home early. More lived there, of course. The abandoned place never had less than four children at a time. But the older kids were at school. Oh, Jake raised all sorts of Hell when he got home to find that his sister was dead, to find eight year old Alex cradling the newborn, smothered in blankets, and rocking back and forth. Eliza, months the younger boy's junior, raced to Jake when he walked through the door and soaked his shirt with tears and snot as she screamed what happened into his stomach. Aaron was silent, watching with an unreadable face and cold eyes. Philip Morgan was born into unjust chaos, and that's exactly how he died.

* * *

 Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had always known each other. The story goes that they were found in the same dumpster, but DNA tests proved that they weren't related. No one knew anything about their parents. And when Thomas first got adopted, he made that family's life a living hell because they'd dared to scoff at the sick, trembling little boy he easily towered over. They were the same age, and a growth spurt would have them at the same height when they got older, but right now, Jemmy was sick. Jemmy needed him, you absolute scoundrels! Who would take care of him? Who would make sure he had enough to eat, or take his medicine on time? Was there even anyone to make sure he _had_ medicine?!

Jefferson lasted three months with that family before the father snapped and shoved him out the front door. He smirked and found a payphone. It served them right for trying to keep up their stuffy image of a perfect life. That was never his style. His social worker picked him up in a beat-up rust bucket that Jeff was surprised to find still alive and kicking.

“You couldn't even go half a year?” The older man whined. Jeff snorted. Served him right for looking for a bigger paycheck.

So he was back in the foster system, at a different house this time. The Larsons.

“Where's Madison?” He demanded when the social worker took off roaring down the street.

“You must be Jefferson. C'mon in, kid. Your friend's been calling for you only every other night.” Jake might have been exaggerating a bit, but those two might as well have been joined at the hip from what he'd heard.

 _Or the heart_ , he mused as the new boy raced to comfort his eternally sick companion. Mads was happy to see him, that was for sure.

Alex whistled lowly.

“Told you they'd be worse than us.” He grinned in all his nine year old cheek.

* * *

 Alex found Theo while he was out walking one weekend. He liked to think and get fresh air, but no one was in the mood to go with him just yet. It had been three years since Laura died, and the house was solemn. Jake was basically comatose, as he always was when this anniversary came around. Eliza had a friend who invited her to a sleepover. Aaron preferred the silence. It allowed him to gather his own thoughts and reminisce. Alex needed the excitement, would go crazy without it. So he told Jake where he was going and locked the door behind him.

 

The Hudson stank like hell, but he found a bench and inhaled deeply. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he barely noticed when the blanket next to him moved.

“Whatever's wrong, I hope you'll be okay.” The girl whispered low enough that he had to strain to hear it, and he knew that she wasn't _talking_ to him so much _praying_ for him.

“How old are you?” Was what dropped out of his mouth, like an idiot. “And don't lie either. It's too cold for lies.”

“I don't know.” She mumbled. “It's not like I can read.”

So she was young, he mused. And her parents were dead.

“C'mon, I know where you can get warm.”

She'd been expecting a church or a store, a warehouse or something. She hadn't expected the door to swing open and her new friend to have the life choked out of him.

“Stop it!” She yelped, shedding her blanket to push the darker boy away.

“Jesus, Alex, you sure know a stray when you see one.”

She would learn later on that Aaron had been scared, not mad, and that he'd been hugging Alex. Theo would come to love hugs from Aaron. They meant she was safe. Alex found the girl, but she latched onto Aaron like he was the only one there.  


End file.
